Matching Items (17)
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- All Subjects: sports
- All Subjects: ethics
- Creators: School of Accountancy
- Member of: Barrett, The Honors College Thesis/Creative Project Collection
- Member of: Theses and Dissertations
- Status: Published
Description
This paper is intended to identify a correlation between the winning percentage of sports teams in the four major professional sports leagues in the United States and the GDP per capita of their respective cities. We initially compiled fifteen years of franchise performance along with economic data from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis to analyze this relationship. After converting the data into a language recognized by Stata, the regression tool we used, we ran multiple regressions to find relevant correlations based off of our inputs. This paper will show the value of the economic impact of strong or weak performance throughout various economic cycles through data analysis and conclusions drawn from the results of the regression analysis.
ContributorsAndl, Tyler (Co-author) / Shirk, Brandon (Co-author) / Goegan, Brian (Thesis director) / Eaton, John (Committee member) / School of Accountancy (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-12
Description
Financial statements are one of the most important, if not the most important, documents for investors. These statements are prepared quarterly and yearly by the company accounting department, and are then audited in detail by a large external accounting firm. Investors use these documents to determine the value of the company, and trust that the company was truthful in its statements, and the auditing firm correctly audited the company's financial statements for any mistakes in their books and balances. Mistakes on a company's financial statements can be costly. However, financial fraud on the statements can be outright disastrous. Penalties for accounting fraud can include individual lifetime prison sentences, as well as company fines for billions of dollars. As students in the accounting major, it is our responsibility to ensure that financial statements are accurate and truthful to protect ourselves, other stakeholders, and the companies we work for. This ethics game takes the stories of Enron, WorldCom, and Lehman Brothers and uses them to help students identify financial fraud and how it can be prevented, as well as the consequences behind unethical decisions in financial reporting. The Enron scandal involved CEO Kenneth Lay and his predecessor Jeffery Skilling hiding losses in their financial statements with the help of their auditing firm, Arthur Andersen. Enron collapsed in 2002, and Lay was sentenced to 45 years in prison with his conspirator Skilling sentenced to 24 years in prison. In the WorldCom scandal, CEO Bernard "Bernie" Ebbers booked line costs as capital expenses (overstating WorldCom's assets), and created fraudulent accounts to inflate revenue and WorldCom's profit. Ebbers was sentenced to 25 years in prison and lost his title as WorldCom's Chief Executive Officer. Lehman Brothers took advantage of a loophole in accounting procedure Repo 105, that let the firm hide $50 billion in profits. No one at Lehman Brothers was sentenced to jail since the transaction was technically considered legal, but Lehman was the largest investment bank to fail and the only large financial institution that was not bailed out by the U.S. government.
ContributorsPanikkar, Manoj Madhuraj (Author) / Samuelson, Melissa (Thesis director) / Ahmad, Altaf (Committee member) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / School of Accountancy (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit substance in the United States with over two million pounds seized annually and with a usage rate estimated at 19.8 million people in 2013 (SAMSHA, 2014). Currently there is a nationwide movement for the legalization of recreational marijuana via referendum at the state level. Three states and the District of Columbia have already adopted amendments legalizing marijuana and over a dozen more currently have pending ballots. This report explores what would be the impact of legalizing marijuana in Arizona through the examination of data from Colorado and other governmental sources. Using a benefit/cost analysis the data is used to determine what the effect the legalization of marijuana would have in Arizona. I next examined the moral arguments for legalization. Finally I propose a recommendation for how the issue of the legalization of recreational marijuana should be approached in Arizona.
ContributorsDiPietro, Samuel Miles (Author) / Kalika, Dale (Thesis director) / Lynk, Myles (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / WPC Graduate Programs (Contributor) / School of Accountancy (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
The U.S. sports market is and has been dominated by professional football, basketball, and baseball leagues. U.S. interest in soccer has exploded as the sport looks to establish its position in this saturated sports market. As a general consensus, Major League Soccer (MLS), the recognized professional soccer league in both the U.S. and Canada, is expecting increased growth following the 2014 FIFA World Cup. My goal is to track that growth from June 2014 and to monitor the league's responses to that growth. How do league executives manage growth? I am curious about the background finances- especially when heated negotiations are expected heading into a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA). The compelling question I am looking to answer is: How will the MLS market respond to growth in a highly saturated U.S. sports market, particularly after the 2014 FIFA World Cup?
ContributorsKagen, Samuel Aaron (Author) / Drake, Philip (Thesis director) / Cassidy, Nancy (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / W. P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / School of Accountancy (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
We were driven by the question: what is happening to the popularity of Major League Baseball? In order to answer this question we compared the league structure of Major League Baseball with that of the National Football League. We were able to speak with five former or current members of the respective leagues in order to gain some insight into how the two leagues operate. The main focus of our research was around the payroll structures of the two leagues as well as their revenue sharing policies. In the end, we discovered that Major League Baseball is becoming highly regionalized. The sport is still growing in popularity in terms of revenue and fan involvement, but it is becoming less popular on a national stage. The league is benefitting greatly from factors like the increasing importance of "TiVo proof programming" and a lack of competition. Each league is very different in its own right. While the NFL promotes a perception of competitive balance, Major League Baseball can be plagued by the negative perception it creates surrounding some of its smaller market teams.
ContributorsHeath, Cameron (Co-author) / Linamen, John (Co-author) / Eaton, John (Thesis director) / Mokwa, Michael (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / WPC Graduate Programs (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / School of Accountancy (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
Executive compensation is broken into two parts: one fixed and one variable. The fixed component of executive compensation is the annual salary and the variable components are performance-based incentives. Clawback provisions of executive compensation are designed to require executives to return performance-based, variable compensation that was erroneously awarded in the year of a misstatement. This research shows the need for the use of a new clawback provision that combines aspects of the two currently in regulation. In our current federal regulation, there are two clawback provisions in play: Section 304 of Sarbanes-Oxley and section 954 of The Dodd\u2014Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. This paper argues for the use of an optimal clawback provision that combines aspects of both the current SOX provision and the Dodd-Frank provision, by integrating the principles of loss aversion and narcissism. These two factors are important to consider when designing a clawback provision, as it is generally accepted that average individuals are loss averse and executives are becoming increasingly narcissistic. Therefore, when attempting to mitigate the risk of a leader keeping erroneously awarded executive compensation, the decision making factors of narcissism and loss aversion must be taken into account. Additionally, this paper predicts how compensation structures will shift post-implementation. Through a survey analyzing the level of both loss- aversion and narcissism in respondents, the research question justifies the principle that people are loss averse and that a subset of the population show narcissistic tendencies. Both loss aversion and narcissism drove the results to suggest there are benefits to both clawback provisions and that a new provision that combines elements of both is most beneficial in mitigating the risk of executives receiving erroneously awarded compensation. I concluded the most optimal clawback provision is mandatory for all public companies (Dodd-Frank), targets all executives (Dodd-Frank), and requires the recuperation of the entire bonus, not just that which was in excess of what should have been received (SOX).
ContributorsLarscheid, Elizabeth (Author) / Samuelson, Melissa (Thesis director) / Casas-Arce, Pablo (Committee member) / WPC Graduate Programs (Contributor) / School of Accountancy (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-12
Description
Social media has evolved so quickly in the past two decades and continues to grow and change at a rapid pace. This way of connecting and communicating with others has become so ingrained in daily life and can have a major influence on people's actions. Social media and social networking look vastly different today than it did in the past, and will continue to change for the future. The sports and travel industries are no exception to the integration of social media. Both entities understand the importance of being prominent in the online domain and connecting to the Millennial generation. It is crucial for young people to learn how to positively use social media in the classroom and in the workplace as their lives become consumed by this digital world. The emphasis on social media in different facets of society can bring both positive and negative connotations along with it, depending on how, when, and why people decide to use it. Social media is not meant to replace all interactions and forms of contact, but rather enhance these relationships. By analyzing the history of social media, current trends and effects, this project seeks to forecast the impact that social media will continue to have in the future. In the fast paced world today, social media and other forms of electronic communication will only continue to increase and be intensified. This project explores how social media has impacted society, most importantly, the travel industry and the sports industry. Social media will continue to expand knowledge, connect people all over the world, and enhance experiences as it inevitably becomes even more integrated into everyday life.
ContributorsHomes, Taylor (Co-author) / Larkin, Anna (Co-author) / Eaton, John (Thesis director) / McIntosh, Daniel (Committee member) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / WPC Graduate Programs (Contributor) / School of Accountancy (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05
Description
The purpose of this paper is to identify if there is a relationship between the year-over-year success of a Division 1 college football team and numerous academic and financial indicators of the host university. College football has become the lifeblood of major university athletic programs as it is consistently the top revenue generator for university athletic programs across the country. The purpose of this paper is to not only identify the correlation between the success of these teams and financial indicators but to also identify if there are non-financial aspects that are affected by the football team’s success and how a university can capitalize on these.
Specifically, this paper focuses on the Arizona State University Sun Devils football team’s year-over-year results from 2006-2016 and uses this dataset as a comparison against multiple academic and financial measures from the university. This paper also attempts to define what a university's “brand” is and discuss the effect that these teams have on a student’s experience at the university. Based on these findings and results, we attempt to draw conclusions surrounding this information on if there are certain correlations between football success and university indicators and how strongly these indicators affect the university and its brand.
Specifically, this paper focuses on the Arizona State University Sun Devils football team’s year-over-year results from 2006-2016 and uses this dataset as a comparison against multiple academic and financial measures from the university. This paper also attempts to define what a university's “brand” is and discuss the effect that these teams have on a student’s experience at the university. Based on these findings and results, we attempt to draw conclusions surrounding this information on if there are certain correlations between football success and university indicators and how strongly these indicators affect the university and its brand.
ContributorsRaysik, Bailey (Co-author) / Whiteley, Andrew (Co-author) / Roberton, Sean (Co-author) / Ingram-Waters, Mary (Thesis director) / Eaton, John (Committee member) / WPC Graduate Programs (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / School of Accountancy (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
The purpose of this thesis is to examine the factors leading to the valuations of professional sports teams, with a focus on three of the largest professional sports by revenue: soccer, baseball, and basketball. The main goal of this report is to analyze historical growth rates in the total price paid for professional sports teams and the value-added activities that lead to increased sales prices well above the Forbes yearly valuation. Additionally, we will incorporate statistical analysis and data sets highlighting different approaches and valuation tactics used when determining a proper sales price for a team that can be incorporated in future research and provide a basis for explaining the high price many are willing to pay to acquire a sports franchise.
ContributorsProietti, David Anthony (Co-author) / Frei, Sebastian (Co-author) / Goegan, Brian (Thesis director) / Garverick, Michael (Committee member) / School of Accountancy (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
As an accounting major entering the field of financial auditing, I have learned how important the understanding and knowledge of ethics are. I have also learned how often there are grey areas that can cause a generally honest and ethical person to make a not-so-ethical choice. Due to the prevalence and difficulty of such situations involving ethical matters in the workplace, legislation has been put in place such as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the Whistleblower Protection Act. I believe the knowledge of such legislation combined with a knowledge of ethical skepticism can not only better the accounting industry, but better the business industry as a whole. This belief led to conducting this study, which aims to identify the impact of whistleblowing and ethics education on undergraduate business students and their likelihood to blow the whistle and analyze ethically ambiguous scenarios with greater skepticism. Through a survey including true or false questions and ethically ambiguous scenarios to be rated on a Likert scale, data was gathered for analysis. Data was divided into three groups for response comparison: accountancy students with Accounting 360: Ethics for Professional Accountants (ACC 360) complete, accounting students with ACC 360 incomplete, and non-accountancy students without ACC 360. The analysis provided some statistically significant responses where students who had completed an accounting ethics course were more likely to blow the whistle and rate a scenario as unethical over students who had not completed the course. However, following survey analysis and research on prior studies, further research is needed to determine more definitively the impact of such education. The data analysis and overall research collected allowed me to form conclusions on whistleblowing and ethics education in undergraduate studies. With the prevalence of ethical dilemmas and fraudulent behavior in the workplace, such a constructive ethical framework and whistleblowing behavior can be taught to improve the likelihood of blowing the whistle and determining ethical dilemmas as unethical. This leads to the proposal that all business students, not just accountancy students, be required to complete a business ethics course for the betterment of our professional careers.
ContributorsIkuma, Olivia R. (Author) / Call, Andrew (Thesis director) / Cassidy, Nancy (Committee member) / School of Accountancy (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05